Alison O’Connor: Linked up, logged in and never far from distraction

I spent last weekend in a house with six adults, four children, seven dogs and so many electronic devices with screens -- iPhones, iPads, iPods, Wiis, laptops, Nintendo consoles -- that I lost count of them.

I spent last weekend in a house with six adults, four children, seven dogs and so many electronic devices with screens -- iPhones, iPads, iPods, Wiis, laptops, Nintendo consoles -- that I lost count of them.

The humans and the dogs negotiated their way around each other, but you could hardly turn around for fear of standing or sitting on a digital device -- there were the ones already in situ, as well as the "visiting" devices, so indispensable that they had to be brought along for the weekend.

It seems as if idle moments no longer exist. Why waste a penny on your thoughts, or bother gazing into space for a few moments on the bus, when you could be checking out what's happening online? The ubiquitous screen has all but killed casual daily moments of introspection.

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